Smart glasses that display information directly in the field of vision are considered a key technology of the future—but until now, their use has often failed due to cumbersome technology. However, efficient light-emitting pixels are ruled out by classical optics if their size is reduced to the wavelength of the emitted light.

Now, physicists at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) have taken a decisive step toward luminous miniature displays and, with the help of optical antennas, have created the world’s smallest pixel to date.

A research group led by Professors Jens Pflaum and Bert Hecht was responsible for the work; the group has now published the results of their work in Science Advances.